Body exerciser

ABSTRACT

A body exerciser includes a seat member supported by a leg post, a crank shaft mounted on two bearing members that are disposed rearwardly of the seat member so as to be rotatable clockwise and counterclockwise about an axis, a backrest member secured to the crank shart for swinging clockwise to a bending position or counterclockwise to a straightening position, and a deformable resisting member connected to a crank web on the crank shaft and to an anchored member. The resisting member is tensioned at the bending and straightening positions, thereby generating a biasing action to resist movement of the backrest member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] This invention relates to a body exerciser, more particularly to a body exerciser with a deformable resisting member which is tensioned when a backrest is swung clockwise to a bending position or counterclockwise to a straightening position relative to a seat member so as to exercise the user's trunk.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional body exerciser is shown to include a base frame 1, a seat member 2 with a leg post 101 which is secured on a front portion of the base frame 1, a connecting member 102 which is secured on a rear portion of the base frame 1, a transverse rod 301 which is pivoted to the connecting member 102 at one end thereof, a plurality of elastomeric resisting members 7 which are connected to the other end of the transverse rod 301 and to the base frame 1, a backrest member 4 which has a connecting plate 303 that is connected to the transverse rod 301 adjacent to the resisting members 7, a handle 6 which mounted on the backrest member 4 and which has two forwardly extending handgrips 601, and a hydraulic cylinder 5 which is mounted on an upright post 302 that is secured on the transverse rod 301. The hydraulic cylinder 5 includes a cylinder body 501 and a piston rod 502 which it connected to the backrest member 4. In use, when the user bends forwardly to move the piston rod 502 forward, the resistance generated by the hydraulic cylinder 5 is increased gradually for exercising purpose. Furthermore, referring to FIG. 3, when the user bends rearwardly until the connecting plate 303 reaches a stopper 4011, the resisting members 7 are tensioned and thus generate a biasing action to the backrest member 4 for exercising purpose.

[0005] In the aforementioned conventional body exerciser, it is required to provide both the resisting members 7 and the hydraulic cylinder 5 for providing resisting forces to these two types of exercising modes, thereby resulting in a complicated construction and a higher manufacturing cost. In addition, no means is provided for adjusting the resisting force applied to the backrest member 4. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 3, since the user's back abuts against the end rim of the backrest member 4, the body exerciser is uncomfortable to use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a body exerciser which has a simple yet inexpensive construction.

[0007] Another object of the present invention is to provide a body exerciser which can adjust the resisting force applied to the backrest member thereof.

[0008] Still another object of the present invention is to provide a body exerciser which can be used comfortably.

[0009] According to this invention, the body exerciser includes a leg post with bottom and top ends opposite to each other in an upright direction. The bottom end defines a horizontal plane and is adapted to be placed on the ground. A seat member is disposed on the top end, and has front and rear sides opposite to each other in a longitudinal direction transverse to the upright direction. A pair of bearing members are disposed rearwardly of the rear side of the seat member and are opposite to each other in a transverse direction relative to both of the upright and longitudinal directions. Each bearing member is spaced apart from the horizontal plane in the upright direction with a first height. A crank shaft is mounted on the bearing members at two ends thereof so as to be rotatable in clockwise and counterclockwise directions about a rotating axis in the transverse direction. A backrest member has a proximate end which is secured to the crank shaft at a first position and which is rotatable together with the crank shaft so as to permit the backrest member to swing clockwise to a bending position or counterclockwise to a straightening position, and a distal end opposite to the proximate end in a radial direction relative to the rotating axis. The distal end is closer to and is remove from the seat member when the backrest member is in the bending and straightening positions, respectively. A crank web is disposed on the crank shaft at a second position which is angularly spaced apart from and which lags behind the first position when the crank shaft rotates in the clockwise direction. The crank web extends radially from the crank shaft and terminates at a pivoting end. An anchored member is disposed rearwardly of and is spaced apart from the crank shaft in the longitudinal direction, and is further spaced apart from the horizontal plane in the upright direction with a second height which is less than the first height. A deformable resisting member has an anchoring end which is anchored to the anchored member, and a pivoted end which is pivotally mounted on the pivoting end. The resisting member will be tensioned at both the bending and straightening positions, and as a result of being tensioned, the resisting member will generate a biasing action to resist movement of the backrest member to either of the bending and straightening positions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0011]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional body exerciser;

[0012]FIG. 2 is a side view of the conventional body exercise in a state of use;

[0013]FIG. 3 is a side view of the conventional body exerciser in another state of use;

[0014]FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a body exerciser according to this invention;

[0015]FIG. 5 is at assembled perspective view of the preferred embodiment;

[0016]FIG. 6 is a side view of the preferred embodiment in a state of use;

[0017]FIG. 7 is a side view of the preferred embodiment in another state of use;

[0018]FIG. 8 is a side view of the preferred embodiment to illustrate how a biasing force of a resisting member is adjusted; and

[0019]FIG. 9 is a top view of a portion of the preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0020] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the preferred embodiment of the body exerciser according to the present invention is shown to comprise a base frame 10, a seat member 20, a backrest member 30, a handle 40, and a pair of elastomeric resisting members 50.

[0021] The base frame 10 includes an elongated frame 11 and a leg post. The elongated frame 11 has front and rear portions opposite to each other in a longitudinal direction. The leg post includes two bottom rods 12, 13 which are secured on the front portion of the elongated frame 11 and which are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction to define a horizontal plane to be placed on the ground, front legs 121 which extend in an upright direction from the bottom rod 12 and which are spaced apart from each other in a transverse direction relative to the longitudinal direction, two rear legs 131 which extend uprightly from the bottom rod 13 and which are spaced apart from each other in the transverse direction, and two lateral rods 14 which interconnect upper ends of the front and rear legs 121, 131 for placement of the seat member 20 thereon. The seat member 20 has front and rear sides 201, 202 opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction.

[0022] A middle axle 331 extends along a rotating axis in the transverse direction and has two ends formed with screw holes 333 and secured on the upper ends of the rear legs 131 by means of screw fasteners 335 so as to serve as two bearing members. The middle axle 231 is disposed to be spaced apart from the horizontal plane in the upright direction with a first height.

[0023] A tubular crank shaft 332 has two ends and is sleeved rotatably on the middle axle 331 to be rotatable in clockwise and counterclockwise directions about the rotating axis.

[0024] The backrest member 30 includes an elongated backrest frame 32 and a seat body 31 which is secured on and which is supported by the backrest frame 32. The backrest frame 32 has a proximate end 322 which is secured to the crank shaft 332 at a first position and which is rotatable together with the crank shaft 232 so as to permit the backrest member 30 to swing clockwise to a bending position or counterclockwise to a straightening position, and a distal end 321 opposite to the proximate end 322 in a radial direction relative to the rotating axis. As such, the distal end 321 is closer to and is remote from the seat member 20 when the backrest member 40 is in the bending and straightening positions, respectively.

[0025] A pair of crank webs 334 are secured on the crank shaft 332 at a second position which is angularly spaced apart from and which lags behind the first position of the proximate end 322 of the backrest frame 32 when the crank shaft 332 rotates in the clockwise direction. In addition, each crank web 334 extends radially from the crank shaft 332 and terminates at a pivoting end 3341. A threaded bolt 336 passes through the pivoting ends 3341 and pivoted ends 52 of the resisting members 50 so as to mount pivotally the pivoted ends 52 on the crank webs 334.

[0026] An anchored member 15 includes an outer frame 151 which is secured on the front portion of the elongated frame 11, and a movable inner frame 152. The outer frame 151 includes a positioning wall 1511 and a pair of guiding walls 1512 extending forwardly from the positioning wall 1511. The guiding walls 1512 are formed with a pair of elongated slots 1514 which extend in the longitudinal direction. The inner frame 152 includes an end wall 1521 and a pair of lateral walls 1522, and is confined movably in the outer frame 151 in the longitudinal direction. A threaded bolt 153 extends in the transverse direction, passes through the elongated slots 1514, through holes 1523 in the lateral walls 1522, and anchoring ends 51 of the resisting members 50, and engages threadedly a screw nut 1531 so as to be slidable along the elongated slots 1514 to form a key-and-keyway arrangement for guiding movement of the anchoring ends 51 of the resisting members 50 when adjusting the biasing force of the resisting members 50. Note that the anchoring ends 51 are disposed to be spaced apart from the horizontal plane in the upright direction with a second height that is less than the first height of the middle axle 321. In addition, a fastening portion includes a threaded bolt 154 which passes through a hole 1513 in the positioning wall 1511 and which has a threaded projecting end that engages threadedly a threaded through hole 1552 in a screw nut 155 so as to fasten the inner frame 152 relative to the outer frame 151 in the longitudinal direction.

[0027] The handle 40 has a middle connecting portion 42 which is inserted into and which is secured removably to the distal end 321 of the backrest frame 32 by means of screw fasteners 422, and a pair of handgrips 41 which extend forwardly of the distal end 321.

[0028] Preferably, a pair of pad members 34 are sleeved on the ends of the crank shaft 332, respectively.

[0029] As illustrated, referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the user sits on the seat member 20, grips the handgrips 41, and bends fowardly and rearwardly to sizing the backrest member 30 to the bending and straightening positions respectively. The resisting members 50 will be tensioned, and as a result of being tensioned, the resisting members 50 will generate a biasing action to resist movement of the backrest member 30 to either of the bending and straightening positions so as to exercise the user's trunk.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, to adjust the biasing force of the resisting members 50, the screw nut 155 is rotated on the threaded bolt 154 and the threaded bolt 153 is moved along the elongated slots 1514 so as to adjust the tension of the resisting members 50, thereby rendering the adjusting operation convenient.

[0031] Moreover, by means of the pad members 34, as shown in FIG. 7, the user's waist portion can abut against the pad members 34 so as to result in enhanced comfort when using the body exerciser of this invention.

[0032] While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretations and equivalent arrangements. 

I claim:
 1. A body exerciser comprising: a leg post having bottom and top ends opposite to each other in an upright direction, said bottom end defining a horizontal plane and adapted to be placed on the ground; a seat member disposed or said top end and having front and rear sides opposite to each other in a longitudinal direction transverse to the upright direction; a pair of bearing members disposed rearwardly of said rear side of said seat member and opposite to each other in a transverse direction relative to both of the upright and longitudinal directions, each of said bearing members being spaced apart from the horizontal plane in the upright direction with a first height; a crank shaft with two ends mounted on said bearing members respectively to be rotatable in clockwise and counterclockwise directions about a rotating axis in the transverse direction; a backrest member having a proximate end secured to said crank shaft at a first position and rotatable together with said crank shaft so as to permit said backrest member to swing clockwise to a bending position or counterclockwise to a straightening position, and a distal end opposite to said proximate end in a radial direction relative to the rotating axis such that said distal end is closer to and is remote from said seat member when said backrest member is in the bending and straightening positions, respectively; a crank web disposed on said crank shaft at a second position which is angularly spaced apart from and which lags behind the first position when said crank shaft rotates in the clockwise direction, said crank web extending radially from said crank shaft and terminating at a pivoting end; an anchored member disposed rearwardly of and spaced apart from said crank shaft in the longitudinal direction, and further spaced apart from the horizontal plane in the upright direction with a second height which is less than the first height; and a resisting member made from a deformable material, and including an anchoring end which is anchored to said anchored member, and a pivoted end which is pivotally mounted on said pivoting end, such that said resisting member will be tensioned at both the bending and straightening positions, and as a result of being tensioned, said resisting member will generate a biasing action to resist movement of said backrest member to either of the bending and straightening positions.
 2. The body exerciser of claim 1, further comprising an elongated frame having front and rear portions which are disposed opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction and which are connected to said bottom end of said leg post and said anchored member, respectively.
 3. The body exerciser of claim 2, wherein said leg post includes two front legs spaced apart from each other in the transverse direction, and two rear legs spaced apart from each other in the transverse direction and disposed between said front legs and said front portion of said elongated frame, said rear legs respectively having two upper ends spaced apart from the horizontal plane in the upright direction with the first height so as to be mounted respectively with said bearing members, said body exerciser further comprising a middle axle which extends along the rotating axis to interconnect said bearing members, said crank shaft being tubular and being sleeved rotatably on said middle axle and said bearing members.
 4. The body exerciser of claim 3, further comprising a pair of pad members sleeved on said ends of said crank shaft, respectively.
 5. The body exerciser of claim 3, wherein said anchored member includes a positioning wall secured on said rear portion of said elongated frame, a movable portion disposed movably relative to said positioning wall in the longitudinal direction and engaging said anchoring end of said resisting member to adjust the biasing force of said resisting member, a fastening portion disposed to fasten said movable portion relative to said positioning wall in the longitudinal direction, and a guiding portion disposed to guide movement of said movable portion in the longitudinal direction.
 6. The body exerciser of claim 5, wherein said fastening portion includes a threaded bolt secured on and extending rearwardly from said movable portion to terminate at a projecting end which passes through said positioning wall, and a screw nut engaging threadedly said projecting end so as to fasten said movable portion on said positioning wall.
 7. The body exerciser of claim 6, wherein said guiding portion includes a keyway disposed forwardly of said positioning wall and extending in the longitudinal direction, and a key disposed on said movable member and engaging movably said keyway so as to guide movement of said movable portion.
 8. The body exerciser of claim 1, further comprising a handle secured on said distal end of said backrest member, and provided with a pair of handgrips that extend forwardly of said distal end. 